Well, what are we to make from that??!?!? Quite easily the most weirdest "out-there" episode since the opener of this season. After seeing evil-cooper in the getaway car be tricked by his driver and shot, we spend the rest of the episode in some psychedelic drug-fuelled utopia of visuals and audio, with brief flirtations into anything comprehensible. We have flashes of lightning, with these rather poor and ugly looking individuals "helping" evil-cooper (or maybe not helping?) before we are then taken back to the 1950s and the testing of the atomic bomb, with a long series of visuals on what you might imagine it's like inside the reaction. Next we're taken to those same figures and lightning flashes around an old petrol station, before we head it seems to some obtrusively darkened building on an island where there's a victorian-era dressed lady and the giant, who seem to sort of react to more banging noises and a drum of sorts, before the giant goes to their home-made cinema of sorts, watches what we just watched for last half hour (but in seconds) and then seems to ascend, project light matter out of his head, generate a ball, which has Laura Palmer's face in it, which the other lady then sends to Earth. Yes, the Planet Earth. Still back in the 50s, we have a courting couple ending their night out, the scruffy men from earlier arrive, kill people in a radio station, start broadcasting the same words recursively, as everyone in the nearby town listening to radio dies. The egg sent to Earth is born as some weird insect which goes into the mouth of one of the town's inhabitants. Quite frankly I'm baffled.
There were minutes when this episode was tiresome, not least 4 minutes of the Nine Inch Nails near the start, but the majority of this acid-trip experience was nonetheless intriguing although there were so very few aspects of it I could cling to and interpret. Is the 50s when all the issues in Twin Peaks started? Is this the start of it all? Was Laura Palmer born this way? Are these supernatural forces powered by nuclear matter? Do they have an interest in it? Was this all kicked off by evil-cooper being shot, or just a flashback that was going to happen anyways?
Much like watching 2001: A Space Odyssey, this episode took us through all manners of visual candy and conflicting details that swish around in our minds like a mess of little details to form some sort of soup that will taste nice but you never know what was in it. It was a bit too much for me on several occasions but it also was undoubtedly amazing at times and a very intriguing passage of play.
Rating: 6/10 - I thought the tea I was drinking had really gone to my head watching this.
Thursday, 29 June 2017
Windows 10 Mobile - Insider Build 15228
If you're going from 15226 to 15228, there's 35.15MB of goodness in this build upgrade to get your phone feeling loved. What puzzles me is this; how does 35.15MB take so long to download and install? If it's 1GB or 1MB, when it comes to Windows Update it seems to still take 5-10 minutes to download it, before we get to the initialising bit. What's that all about?
So, what's new in this build? Well, I've noticed one thing that wasn't mentioned on the build release notes; Windows Update font is no longer looking like a 5 year old's writing!!! Woohoo!
The rest of the fixes are just that, fixes. There's nothing else to talk about but I'll go on to say one of my two main moans about Windows 10 Mobile at this point. I'm not going to go on about apps or it's looming EOL, but about issues that seem to keep being annoying, which is Apps Resuming and Backup Options. Both take a long time to do anything. Sure, not all Apps appear to sleep when you are using them, but sometimes it can take an age to resume an app when you click on it - Messenger being one of the biggest offenders. Then there's clicking on the backup options link under Backups. It spends 10 seconds or more with the 'please wait' dots. I'm sure it used to be quicker man many builds ago.
Oh well, we've got to be thankful for small mercies when you are a Windows 10 Mobile user, so a new build is still something new although surely these could just be cumulative updates?
So, what's new in this build? Well, I've noticed one thing that wasn't mentioned on the build release notes; Windows Update font is no longer looking like a 5 year old's writing!!! Woohoo!
Oh well, we've got to be thankful for small mercies when you are a Windows 10 Mobile user, so a new build is still something new although surely these could just be cumulative updates?
Saturday, 24 June 2017
Windows 10 Mobile - Insider Build 15226
Released in the last few days on the fast ring, this ~45MB build (think UUP technology that keeps build sizes down) took longer to download/initialise/install than it will ever take to check out the improvements. It was a good 20-30 minutes ... for 45MB? It's great that the build sizes are small now with UUP in the Creator's Update but why does it take so long to upgrade?
15226, as with the last several handful of Windows 10 Mobile builds, has been all about fixing minor issues in the OS and little else.
With the most notable change in recent Windows 10 Mobile builds being the label for Phone Updates changing to Windows Update, it's more of the same in this build as the release notes say:
- This build also includes all the improvements from KB4022725.
- We fixed an issue where some apps could not subscribe to SMS receive notifications.
- We fixed an issue for Windows Insiders where some binaries stopped working when transitioning from Insider Preview builds to officially released builds.
- We fixed an audio issue with Bluetooth headphones after Cortana reads an incoming SMS message to the user.
Bug fixes and security updates are better than nothing, but lets face it, sadly Windows 10 Mobile is coming to an end. No one will admit it though. We might yet be surprised but it's looking increasingly unlikely.
On the plus side, this latest build, as with most of the recent ones, runs very very smoothly. App updates still come thick and fast, making using Windows 10 Mobile very enjoyable, if you ignore Edge and the lack of a variety of apps. As a phone, email and news device, it ticks boxes very well. Add in the lumia camera (which is brilliant!) and it's a very useable device. If you want to use it as a serious web browser or get your hands on whatever app you might please, you're bang out of luck.
Still, though, it's confusing to use mobile users why there's still things like WeGo as a known bug for not working correctly, and the relabelling of Phone Update to Windows Update still looking like a 5 year old wrote it:
Will there be more build updates for Windows 10 Mobile? I believe so.
Will there be anything worth getting excited about with these builds? Doesn't look like it.
Still, at least the phone works :)
Twin Peaks S03E06 "Don't Die"
After the previous few episodes being somewhat hard work for a newcomer to the saga like me, I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. Lots of Dougie really brightens any episode! I could watch a whole season just of this character! This week he's still outside the workplace where last week ended. He loves the statue but is eventually helped home by a security guard, only to get berated by his wife and adored by his son. The reports he was given, he draws the weirdest of patterns on, with help from magical bright dots. Upon his return to work and the boss calling him into his office, it appears that whatever Dougie did was genius! The turnaround and performance during all this is absolutely divine like chocolate sauce. I loved it.
Away from Dougie, the next longest segment this week concerns a drug deal that was far too drawn out for me, but what follows caught my attention, not least when the drugged up young lad knocks over a child at a crossing. It's all done in the strangest Twin Peaks style with people's OTT behaviour as they witness this, including a guy who we see before arriving on the scene, who sees the child's spirit floating to heaven. For me this was a mixture of emotion. Naturally what happened was sad and disturbing but it was also difficult to fully take too seriously due to the Twin Peak's style of mannerisms that everyone displayed.
Then to the scene near the end, when a hitman dwarf goes on a blood rampage in some office with a poker instrument of sorts. Oh, it's a spike, that's right. LOL. He was given photos of a lady and Dougie, killing the lady in gruesome fashion and nearby witnesses, before being disappointed that his spike is bent. It's truly bizarre and it's also very bloody.
Away from this, there's classic Hawk at the Police Station making a discovery in the toilet and one of the FBI guys meeting a lady in a bar. The latter means nothing to me but I'm sure means more to long standing Twin Peak Fans.
So, there we have it. A much more enjoyable episode for me, thanks to Dougie and some scenes that were easier to follow and appreciate than previous weeks.
Rating: 7/10 - Dougie rules and blood goes everywhere.
Away from Dougie, the next longest segment this week concerns a drug deal that was far too drawn out for me, but what follows caught my attention, not least when the drugged up young lad knocks over a child at a crossing. It's all done in the strangest Twin Peaks style with people's OTT behaviour as they witness this, including a guy who we see before arriving on the scene, who sees the child's spirit floating to heaven. For me this was a mixture of emotion. Naturally what happened was sad and disturbing but it was also difficult to fully take too seriously due to the Twin Peak's style of mannerisms that everyone displayed.
Then to the scene near the end, when a hitman dwarf goes on a blood rampage in some office with a poker instrument of sorts. Oh, it's a spike, that's right. LOL. He was given photos of a lady and Dougie, killing the lady in gruesome fashion and nearby witnesses, before being disappointed that his spike is bent. It's truly bizarre and it's also very bloody.
Away from this, there's classic Hawk at the Police Station making a discovery in the toilet and one of the FBI guys meeting a lady in a bar. The latter means nothing to me but I'm sure means more to long standing Twin Peak Fans.
So, there we have it. A much more enjoyable episode for me, thanks to Dougie and some scenes that were easier to follow and appreciate than previous weeks.
Rating: 7/10 - Dougie rules and blood goes everywhere.
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| Dougie is a legend! |
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| No idea what this was all about, aside from the some magic. |
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| Potent and seriously odd scene with the poor boy. |
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| This dwarf causes a blood bath. |
Sunday, 11 June 2017
Twin Peaks S03E05 "Case Files"
Synopsis
Cooper/Dougie goes to work, someone is after Dougie, fake-Cooper causes a stir & various other little storylines.
What I thought
I'm struggling somewhat now. It's a shame to say it but there are segments in this week's episode and last week's that I am just not connecting with at this time, which makes it a real struggle to stay focused and interested. The biggest offender is Dr Amp, whom I know is a big deal from the previous series but I don't get his rants over the airwaves although his advert for his golden spade to dig the shit out of our lives was mildly entertaining. Then there's the stuff at the cafe and the daughter of the daughter hanging out with the junkie. I totally found those two really hard to care about. I guess as time goes on it'll mean something more but right now I was zoned out on those two storylines.
The centre-piece of the whole season so far for me continues to be Cooper/Dougie who is just a plain daft simpleton with a variety of amusing expressions and mannerisms. Thoroughly enjoyed Dougie's "first" day on the job and his obsession with coffee and the statue outside the building. Fake-Cooper in the jail was also highly intriguing, how he perceives what's coming next and then somehow manages to send all the electronics into chaos to make a phonecall that the FBI then can't detect. What's with the black box in the middle of nowhere shrinking in size? Totally intriguing.
So, a reasonable episode, inter spread by elements I loved and plenty I just didn't connect with. I reckon going forward there will be more of this so I need to develop a thicker skin perhaps :) At least there was no musical ending although we did get an extended scene near the end of a band.
Rating 6/10 - Decent enough but I'm struggling a little at times.
Cooper/Dougie goes to work, someone is after Dougie, fake-Cooper causes a stir & various other little storylines.
What I thought
I'm struggling somewhat now. It's a shame to say it but there are segments in this week's episode and last week's that I am just not connecting with at this time, which makes it a real struggle to stay focused and interested. The biggest offender is Dr Amp, whom I know is a big deal from the previous series but I don't get his rants over the airwaves although his advert for his golden spade to dig the shit out of our lives was mildly entertaining. Then there's the stuff at the cafe and the daughter of the daughter hanging out with the junkie. I totally found those two really hard to care about. I guess as time goes on it'll mean something more but right now I was zoned out on those two storylines.
The centre-piece of the whole season so far for me continues to be Cooper/Dougie who is just a plain daft simpleton with a variety of amusing expressions and mannerisms. Thoroughly enjoyed Dougie's "first" day on the job and his obsession with coffee and the statue outside the building. Fake-Cooper in the jail was also highly intriguing, how he perceives what's coming next and then somehow manages to send all the electronics into chaos to make a phonecall that the FBI then can't detect. What's with the black box in the middle of nowhere shrinking in size? Totally intriguing.
So, a reasonable episode, inter spread by elements I loved and plenty I just didn't connect with. I reckon going forward there will be more of this so I need to develop a thicker skin perhaps :) At least there was no musical ending although we did get an extended scene near the end of a band.
Rating 6/10 - Decent enough but I'm struggling a little at times.
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| Stand-up comedian in the autopsy :) |
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| Blimey, his wife goes on a lot! |
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| Cofffeeeeeeeeeee |
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| She's cute and he's a nut. |
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| Didn't connect with Dr Amp sadly. |
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| Fake-Cooper pulls a fast one on the FBI. |
Thursday, 8 June 2017
Twin Peaks S03E04 "Brings back some memories"
Synopsis
Dale "Mr Jackpot" Cooper returns to Dougie's home, Twin Peaks Police still try to figure out what's missing and fake-Cooper gives an interview to the FBI.
What I thought
This was a bit of a drawn out episode for me but still nevertheless intriguing and entertaining. Mr Jackpot at the Casino just keeps winning, much to the owner's annoyance, and is eventually sent packing via a limo. You'd think there's be a limit on how many wins one can have in 24 hour period or there'd be major suspicions of cheating? Well, it gets no mention. Through limited knowledge, Cooper is taken back to Dougie's home where the now deceased Dougie's Wife and boy live! Yet more simpleton Cooper antics follow where he's incapable of doing anything for himself (he puts the tie around his head) and has to be shown to the bathroom. I thought he'd pee in the sink but that joke never happened. Strange how he knows nothing about peeing but walking and breathing isn't much of a problem? Still, it's an amusing time in the household, much to his son's entertainment. There's also a warning from the red room that Cooper was tricked and one of them must die. I'd assume that's fake-Cooper?
Speaking of which, fake-Cooper gives an odd interview to the FBI in a manner that suggests he's real Cooper but also not quite. The FBI don't buy it at all and seem to believe there's something very wrong with Cooper. You think? LOL.
Aside from that, the investigation at Twin Peaks HQ goes nowhere, but does provide the biggest laugh of the episode, with the receptionist freaking out over mobile phones. This was a LOL moment although the conversation with her son and the sheriff was just simply bizarre. It was like an Oscar Award speech combined with lots of weirdness.
Rating 6/10 - Great intrigue and pockets of entertainment continues, but somewhat harder for me to digest this week.
What I liked:
Cooper at Dougie's home was great.
The receptionist freak out over mobile phones.
Fake-Cooper debrief was somewhat semi-revealing.
What I didn't Like:
Drawn-out segments weren't easy for me this week to get through.
Still musical endings. I think that's going to be the norm now sadly.
What the heck was that Marlon speech about?
Dale "Mr Jackpot" Cooper returns to Dougie's home, Twin Peaks Police still try to figure out what's missing and fake-Cooper gives an interview to the FBI.
What I thought
This was a bit of a drawn out episode for me but still nevertheless intriguing and entertaining. Mr Jackpot at the Casino just keeps winning, much to the owner's annoyance, and is eventually sent packing via a limo. You'd think there's be a limit on how many wins one can have in 24 hour period or there'd be major suspicions of cheating? Well, it gets no mention. Through limited knowledge, Cooper is taken back to Dougie's home where the now deceased Dougie's Wife and boy live! Yet more simpleton Cooper antics follow where he's incapable of doing anything for himself (he puts the tie around his head) and has to be shown to the bathroom. I thought he'd pee in the sink but that joke never happened. Strange how he knows nothing about peeing but walking and breathing isn't much of a problem? Still, it's an amusing time in the household, much to his son's entertainment. There's also a warning from the red room that Cooper was tricked and one of them must die. I'd assume that's fake-Cooper?
Speaking of which, fake-Cooper gives an odd interview to the FBI in a manner that suggests he's real Cooper but also not quite. The FBI don't buy it at all and seem to believe there's something very wrong with Cooper. You think? LOL.
Aside from that, the investigation at Twin Peaks HQ goes nowhere, but does provide the biggest laugh of the episode, with the receptionist freaking out over mobile phones. This was a LOL moment although the conversation with her son and the sheriff was just simply bizarre. It was like an Oscar Award speech combined with lots of weirdness.
Rating 6/10 - Great intrigue and pockets of entertainment continues, but somewhat harder for me to digest this week.
What I liked:
Cooper at Dougie's home was great.
The receptionist freak out over mobile phones.
Fake-Cooper debrief was somewhat semi-revealing.
What I didn't Like:
Drawn-out segments weren't easy for me this week to get through.
Still musical endings. I think that's going to be the norm now sadly.
What the heck was that Marlon speech about?
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| It's only been 25 years, but she can't get the concept of mobile phones into her head. LOL. |
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| That was one heck of a speech. |
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| Simpleton Cooper at Dougie Home was charming stuff. |
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| Fake-Cooper just feels evil. |
Sunday, 4 June 2017
Twin Peaks S03E03 "Call for Help"
Synopsis
Dale Cooper takes the journey back to the real world and arrives in form of a simpleton who is good at winning in a casino.
What I thought
Well, it was always going to be hard to live up to the roller coaster of the opening double-episode but this was still one heck of a headbanger. I'd said last episode that perhaps things would have been better if Dale had returned to reality sooner, but now I know why: there was a shed load of stuff for him to go through still. He wibble-wobbles through time/space and then ends up in small metallic room with a lady who can't speak or see, with loud banging on a door, and a balcony at the top that is surrounded by the open-universe! This is seriously odd stuff. After sacrificing herself, Dale returns down to the room, to see the lady again, who can now speak and see, and sends him through the smallest of contraptions. Time is of the essence it seems as that banging is "Mother" and she obviously isn't a happy lady for some reason. We then get introduced to this week's nudity and another Cooper doppelganger called Dougie who has just finished with a prostitute. He starts throwing up, as does the original doppelganger after crashing his car, which leads to more oddness but essentially Dale Cooper arriving back into reality via a power socket. You couldn't make this stuff up! LOL. We then get introduced to a rather simpleton form of Dale Cooper, who does his best Data from Star Trek impression at a local Casino. Not only does he keep winning but he's also apparently straight out of Dumb and Dumber in his inability to really comprehend his surroundings. Speaking of which, back at Twin Peaks Police HQ, there's a rather funny segment with Hawk and his colleagues trying to figure out which piece of evidence is missing from Dale Cooper's disappearance. Is it the chocolate bunnies? No, it's not the chocolate bunnies. Or is it? LOL.
It's hard to know what to think but now Dale is out, you'd think maybe we'd get closer to understand the season arc but I'm not sure that's ever going to be obvious. LOL.
Rating 7/10 - Another episode of oddness personified.
What I liked:
Dale Cooper takes the journey back to the real world and arrives in form of a simpleton who is good at winning in a casino.
What I thought
Well, it was always going to be hard to live up to the roller coaster of the opening double-episode but this was still one heck of a headbanger. I'd said last episode that perhaps things would have been better if Dale had returned to reality sooner, but now I know why: there was a shed load of stuff for him to go through still. He wibble-wobbles through time/space and then ends up in small metallic room with a lady who can't speak or see, with loud banging on a door, and a balcony at the top that is surrounded by the open-universe! This is seriously odd stuff. After sacrificing herself, Dale returns down to the room, to see the lady again, who can now speak and see, and sends him through the smallest of contraptions. Time is of the essence it seems as that banging is "Mother" and she obviously isn't a happy lady for some reason. We then get introduced to this week's nudity and another Cooper doppelganger called Dougie who has just finished with a prostitute. He starts throwing up, as does the original doppelganger after crashing his car, which leads to more oddness but essentially Dale Cooper arriving back into reality via a power socket. You couldn't make this stuff up! LOL. We then get introduced to a rather simpleton form of Dale Cooper, who does his best Data from Star Trek impression at a local Casino. Not only does he keep winning but he's also apparently straight out of Dumb and Dumber in his inability to really comprehend his surroundings. Speaking of which, back at Twin Peaks Police HQ, there's a rather funny segment with Hawk and his colleagues trying to figure out which piece of evidence is missing from Dale Cooper's disappearance. Is it the chocolate bunnies? No, it's not the chocolate bunnies. Or is it? LOL.
It's hard to know what to think but now Dale is out, you'd think maybe we'd get closer to understand the season arc but I'm not sure that's ever going to be obvious. LOL.
Rating 7/10 - Another episode of oddness personified.
What I liked:
- All that Dale Cooper journey to reality oddness was just baffling and genius.
- The Casino scenes were amusing and daft.
- Dumb and Dumber at Twin Peaks Police HQ was quite funny,
- Another doppelganger? It wasn't too bad, but I'm not biggest fan of doppelgangers as I've said before.
- Another musical finish? Looks like that is sadly going to become the way of every episode although I hope not.
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| Doppelgangers contract a vomiting illness this week. |
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| Is it the chocolate bunnies? No, it's not. Or is it? |
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| Simpleton Dale wins big at the casino. |
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